Seed treating machine



P. SEEBER SEED TREATING MACHINE Dec. 21, 1943.

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Dec. 21, 1943. Q P. SE EBER 2,337,209

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Dec. 21, 1943.

P.SEEBER SEED TREATING MACHINE Filed April 25, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 gum/MM Z 91 Patented Dec. 21, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SEED TREATING MACHINE Peter 'Seeber, Champaign, Ill.

Application April 23, 1942, Serial No. 440,261

Claims.

This invention relates to a machine for the treatment of seed with a disinfectant in dust form so that the seed when planted may germinate in more healthy surroundings.

I particularly aim to provide such a machine wherein a disinfectant dust is efficiently mixed with the seed to thoroughly coat the latter and a machine which is capable of being tilted as a whole to regulate the output and to facilitate expeditious emptying especially When dusting dififerent kinds of seed.

In addition, I aim to provide a novel, relatively simple, durable, and inexpensive construction capable of motor operation under variable speed control.

Another object is to provide such a construction wherein the feed of the dust to seed is positive but capable of regulation in a novel manner, and a construction wherein the supply of seed and dust to a mixer is under valve control and which mixer has novel lifting vanes or flights and a constricted outlet portion.

The more specific objects and advantages will secome apparent from a consideration of the description following taken in connection with accompanying drawings illustrating an operative embodiment.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a View of the machine in side elevation;

Figure 2 is a front end elevation of the machine;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken approximately on the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged section showing the mounted mounting for the mixer and the inner end portion of the latter and associated parts;

Figure 5 is a cross section taken on the plane of line 55 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a detail section taken on the line t-5 of Figure 3;

Figure '7 is an enlarged detail elevation looking toward the rear of the dust hopper;

Figure 8 is a section taken approximately on the line 88 of Figure 7, and

Figure 9 is an end view of the agitator.

Referring specifically to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate like or similar parts, a relatively stationary mounting frame is provided at It] having a base H with approximately triangular sides l2 with bearings l3 at the tops thereof.

A machine frame generally designated l4, of which a transverse shaft l5, forms a part, is journaled in the bearings l3, to the end that the i5 and secured in different adjusted positions,

as through the operation of a lever l5, pivoted at i! to the mounting frame it! and having a link l8 pivoted both to the machine frame M and to the lever. The lever also has a conventional lock mechanism at l9 to coact with the teeth of a segment 29 fastened to the mounting frame Ill.

The constituent parts of the machine frame may be secured together in any suitable manner. They are usually metallic, skeletonized and integral with each other or welded together. Such frame M may have uprights 2! extending from shaft i5 and mounting a seed hopper 22 which for the most part is open at the top in order that seed may be supplied thereto either manually or by machine as preferred.

Straddling the upper edge of the rear wall of seed hopper 22 as best appears in Figures 1 and 3, is a disinfectant or dust hopper 23 which, it will be noted, is open at the top so that the disinfectant or dust may be supplied thereto. A shaft 24 is rotatably mounted in walls of the hopper Z3 and in a bearing 25 secured to the seed hopper 22. An agitator 25 is rigid on shaft 24 and operates within the dust hopper 23 to promote the discharge of dust from hopper 23 through an opening 2'! in the bottom thereof onto an endless conveyor or distributor 28 disposed relatively close thereto and beneath the same and operable between depending walls 29 on the dust hopper 23 but located within the seed hopper 22. The element 28 may be a chain as shown and it traverses a fixed guide 30 which spans the walls 29 and also traverses a sprocket wheel 3! keyed to a shaft 32 which is journaled in the walls 25 and in a bearing 33 on the bottom Wall of hopper 23.

The aforesaid agitator 25 may be of any suitable construction butit preferably has longitudinally extending arms 34 of different lengths. The amount of dust or disinfectant discharging through opening 2'5 onto the conveyor 28 and discharged by the latter into the hopper 22 is variable through control of the speed of the shaft 2, as best shown in Figures 3, '7 and 8. To this end, a crank 35 is provided on shaft 24 and has an elongated slot 35 therethrough. A bolt 3'! has a head 38 anchored and slidably adjustable in slot 38 on which bolt a nut 39 is screw threaded to bind against the crank to hold the bolt in different adjusted position. A rack bar 4b is pivoted on bolt 3'! and held against accidental detachment by a wing nut 4i.

The teeth of rack bar 4i] enmeshed with the teeth of a gear wheel 4| loose on the shaft 32. A U-shaped bracket 42 surrounds the rack it! to hold it in place and through openings in the terminals of the bracket, shaft 32 passes in order to mount such bracket. An arm 43 fast to the gear wheel i i has a pawl M pivoted thereto at 55 which is urged by a contractile spring 45 fastened thereto and to the arm 32 into coacting engagement with the teeth 5'? of a ratchet wheel 18 keyed at ts to the shaft 32. As a result, the throw of the rack bar at is adjustable by varying the position of the bolt 3! and through this adjustment, the operation of shaft 32 through the gear and ratchet mechanism, varies the movement of the conveyor or distributor 28 accordingly.

A mixer structure ii is provided for the seed and dust or disinfectant. This mixer consists of a horizontally disposed rotatable drum 5% which has tapered portion 5! leading, approximately midway thereof, to the discharge end which is constricted as a result and for a short distance at 52 of the same diameter throughout. Such discharge end is open and interiorally of the drum, ribs or f ghts 53 extend inwardly from the wall in order to lift the material being mixed and thus more thoroughly mixed or agitated.

lnterioraily of the mixing drum at the inner end portion is a head generally designated i i and exteriorally of such drum opposed to the cage is a collar 55, screws 55 being used to secure the head and collar to the drum. Integral with head e-c are interior radial blades which aid in the mixing of seed and dust as well as to propel the same through openings Frame Hi has a cap plate 5? which is stationary but in clos ng relation to the inner end of the drum, preferably having an annular flange 53, surrounding the ring or collar 55. A chute 59 communicates with the bottom of the hopper 22 and leads to the interior of head E i, through the cap wall E-l so that the mixture of seed and dust or disinfectant may travel from hopper 22 into the mixer. Such travel, however, regulable as to quant ty and flow through the medium of a slide valve or its equivalent mounted in any conventional manner the chute 59.

Frame i i adjacent the shaft l5 has an open mounting iii in order to mount a fixed horizontally disposed shaft 62 which extends therefrom through and beyond the cap plate El and into the head 55. Head 54 has a hub at 53 and out wardly thereof has openings so that the ture may pass into the head through the open nner end of the latter and from the same through openings 6 into the cylinder 5%. Interioraliy of the hub 53, any suitable bearings, which be ball or taper bearing devices, 54 rotatably mount the head 5d and cylinder on the shaft 52, the bearings engaging the hub along oppositely inclined surfaces 65 and bearings being held in place together with the cylinder and head, through the medium of nuts 66 screwed on the shaft 62. As a result, the mixture of seed and dust will from the hopper 22 through the chute 553 into the head 55 and cylinder 55!, being effectively mixed through the rotation of the cylinder. it will be realized that the capacity and speed of discharge from the mixer will be regulated by tilting the machine through manipulation of the lever It and, also, that the machine or mixer may be emptied by tilting the same through the action of the same lever it which is highly desirable, where different seeds are to be mixed with the same dust and in succession.

The machine frame M includes an upright 61 which is in supporting relation to the hopper 22. A brace or bar 68 extends from the upright 14 to the hopper 23. Secured to the mounting 6! and parallel to the upright or bar 61 is another upright or bar 69 from the top of which a bar or brace 10 extends and is fastened to the hopper 22. Bars Si and 89 mount a base plate H for an operating motor 12 which is preferably an electric motor. Motor '52 has a pulley E3 on its main shaft M which is traversed by a belt '15 also traversing a pulley 76 on a shaft W in sections, including a variable speed mechanism 18, mounted on the bars 6? and t9 and which is manually controlled through shifting of a lever l9. Shaft ll also has a pulley Z-Sil thereon traversed by a belt 3| which also traverses a collar $5 and thereby rotates a drum 58 of the mixer and parts carried thereby.

Shaft 'l'l also has a pulley 82 keyed thereto traversed by a belt 83 which passes over a pulley M on a shaft 85 journaled in suitable bearings on a shelf 87 suitably supported by the bars (53. Shaft 85 through the medium of a pulley $8 thereon and belt 89 traversing the same, drives a pulley 9% which is keyed to the previously mentioned shaft 2 in order to operate the latter.

It will be understood that in lieu of the driving belts and pulleys, I may use any other driving, gearing or the equivalent.

Various other changes may be resorted to provided they fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

3.. A machine of the class tilted having a frame, and a mixer on said f e, said mixer hav ng a rotatable cylinder, a fixed shaft on said frame, a plate on said frame to close the inner end of the cylinder, said plate having an opening therethrough for supply of material to the cylinder, a head within the cylinder journaled on said shaft, said head having a blade to propel material therethrough and being open to communicate with the interior of the cylinder.

2. A machine of the class described having a mounting means, a frame rotatably mounted thereon, and a mixer on said frame, said mixer having a rotatable cylinder, a fixed shaft on said frame, a plate on said frame to close the inner end of the cylinder, said plate having an opening herethrough for supply of material to the cylinder, a head within the cylinder journaled on said shaft, said head having blades to propel the material therethrough and also having openings leading therefrom to the interior of the cylinder.

3. A machine of the class described having a mounting means, a frame rotatably mounted thereon, and a mixer on said frame, said mixer having a rotatable cylinder, a fixed shaft on said frame, a plate on said frame to close the inner end of the cylinder, said plate having an opening therethrough for supply of material to the cylinder, a head within the cylinder journaled on said shaft, said head having blades to propel the material therethrough and also having openings leading therefrom to the interior of the cylinder, a collar surrounding the cylinder, fastenings securing the head and collar to the cylinder, and driving means for the cylinder engageable with the collar.

4. A machine of the class described having a mounting means, a frame rotatably mounted thereon, and a mixer on said frame, said mixer having a rotatable cylinder, a fixed shaft on said frame, a plate on said frame to close the inner end of the cylinder, said plate having an opening therethrough for supply of material to the cylinder, a head within the cylinder journaled on said shaft, said head having blades to propel the material therethrough and also having openings leading therefrom to the interior of the cylinder, a collar surrounding the cylinder, fastenings securing the head and collar to the cylinder, and driving means for the cylinder engageable with the collar, said plate having a flange surrounding the collar, said hub having oppositely disposed bearing surfaces and bearing elements mounted by the shaft engaging said surfaces.

5. A machine of the class described having mounting means, a frame pivoted on said mounting means, said frame including a plate, a shaft fixed on said frame and extending beyond and through the plate, a mixer journaled on said shaft beyond the plate, said plate having an opening therethrough for the supply of material to the mixer, bearing means interiorly of the mixer mounted on the shaft and having an opening therethrough for communication with the interior of the mixer, a structure on said frame on the opposite side of its axis of rotation to the mixer, a motor mounted on said structure below said axis, drive means from the motor disposed below the same, and a drive from the last-mentioned means to the mixer to rotate the same.

PETER SEEBER. 

